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Top Mother-of-the-Bride Shopping Tips from Designer Joyce Young

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This is a guest post by Joyce Young of Joyce Young Design Studios. Photo by Janelle Brooke Photography from Julia and ChiChi’s wedding. 

We’re so excited to share some top mother-of-the-bride (or groom) shopping tips from Joyce Young, a renowned UK-based designer at the very top of the game. If you think your mum could use a little encouragement to get her shopping mojo on, send her right here to take in Joyce’s wise words!

Photo courtesy of Joyce Young

The Engagement

Congratulations! Your darling son or daughter has announced that he/she is to get married to their soul mate.  This is a joyous time, with all the excitement to come of planning a wedding.

Most mothers like to be involved but depending on the couple your involvement can vary considerably. It can and should be a time of quality bonding as you plan and discuss all the aspects of the wedding, but it can also be a frustrating time with a lot of biting the tongue to avoid conflict!

Photo by The Love Hunters from Georgia and Joel’s wedding

Couples are now getting married older and tend to know their own minds and may not ask the opinions of parents. Sometimes this can be hurtful. When my own daughter got married I quickly learned that when she sought my opinion is was only OK when I happened to agree with hers. I learned to become very tactful! 

We have been in business for 26 years dressing mothers of the bride and brides and we hear so many stories some very funny and others quite sad and we know it’s hard to please all of the people all of the time!

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Top Honeymoon Destinations for 2020/2021 {with Abby Taubman}

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Photo courtesy of Gili Lankanfushi
This is a guest post by Abby Taubman of Colletts Travel.

The Honeymoon

A once in a lifetime holiday or a short break to unwind after the big day. Wherever you choose to go you want it to be romantic, memorable and special. When the world really is your oyster it is hard to pinpoint where you both want to go that will fit with your budget, time frame and that perfect mixture of two people’s ideal holiday.

Photo courtesy of St Regis Mauritius Resort

I have compiled a small, yet perfectly formed list of some my top destinations that may help you narrow down those ever-growing honeymoon destination lists appearing in your google searches. My list will cover long haul to short haul, beaches to cities and everything in between. So sit back, relax and let the honeymoon bucket list dreaming commence…

Photo courtesy of Niyama Private Island, Maldives

India & Maldives

India – a classic honeymoon destination. From the vibrant and buzzing cities of the Golden Triangle in the North to the calm and relaxing countryside of the South where a journey on the backwaters is an absolute must; India is a country that really offers it all and a country I instantly fell in love with the first time I visited.

Northern itineraries include cities such as Delhi, Agra where the famed Taj Mahal is, Jaipur and Udaipur. Before ending in Mumbai. Those itineraries exploring the South include Munnar, Alleppey, Pune Kumarakom and of course Cochin.

Photo courtesy of Vakkaru, Maldives

Because of the wonderful location of India, you can combine your amazing adventure with a beautiful beach where you can sit back, relax and reflect on everything that has just happened. My recommendation would be the pristine beaches and crystal-clear waters of the Maldives – a location that is at the heart of the saying ‘sit back, relax and unwind.’ A choice of islands, board options and budget allows all travellers that little slice of heaven.

Photo courtesy of Auberge du Soleil

California & Hawaii

The best way to describe any honeymoon here is romance, sunsets and wine. Your choice of cities and locations allows you to mix and match all three.

Picture this: you and your partner cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway in a convertible car, the wind blowing in your hair with only the Sat Nav directions to argue about. Together you can explore the beautiful scenery down the Highway 1 and stop in places such as San Francisco, The Big Sur, Carmel, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. And for those of you who fancy a little detour why not add in Napa Valley and Yosemite National Park.

Photo courtesy of Montage Laguna Beach

Combine your California road trip with the tropical state of Hawaii. Hawaii is a true bucket list location. Your days could be spent zip lining, snorkelling or hiking in the morning followed by relaxing afternoons on the beach and romantic dinners watching the sunset. A winning honeymoon combination all round.

Photo courtesy of Four Seasons Kyoto

Japan

Japan allows you to tick off your honeymoon bucketlist whilst also visiting THE hot travel destination right now. With the 2020 Olympics coming up this country is full steam ahead in giving tourists an amazing holiday.

There are only a few beaches but that doesn’t mean it can’t make for a perfect honeymoon. Take the speedy bullet train between cities like Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone and Osaka to really explore the whole country. Famous for its cherry blossom, the crazy lights of Tokyo and of course its food, Japan will give you a non-stop action packed honeymoon that will leave you wanting to return!

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The Crawleys: Fab Photographers for Your Destination Jewish Wedding

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Your destination wedding is a once-in-a lifetime experience. And you want to make sure you find just the right team to capture every exhilarating moment. Enter The Crawleys.

The Crawleys are a husband-and-wife team, consisting of Liam and Bee – and they’re the masterminds behind some truly fantastic real Jewish weddings here on STG.

From the wonky little cottage they call home in the Delamere Forest in the north of England, they’ve been shooting weddings all over the world since 2002 – that’s 600 and counting! 

They were voted 2019 UK Wedding Photographer of the Year by The Wedding Industry Awards.

They are true travelers at heart, and they’ve got tons of experience working in Spain, France, and Italy. They especially love working in Spain, where they’ve been shooting since 2012 – the sea, the sun, and the quaint villages have totally stolen their hearts.

But they’re also always down for branching out somewhere a bit more exotic – they’ve shot in Thailand, Kenya, and Malaysia, to name just a few.

Destination weddings are a huge part of their business, and they’re willing to go wherever you need them!

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A birthday gift from Smashing The Glass to every Bride-to-be! {today only}

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Six years ago I hit the ‘go live’ button on my very first blog post (and if you’re wondering what it was – it’s the real Jewish wedding of my brother to his incredible wife, [and my one-in-a-million sister-in-law], Lee Ann… Just the most gorgeous wedding for very many reasons!)

Six years later Smashing The Glass has  grown beyond my wildest dreams. We are a superwoman team of three (shout out to the amazing Maria and Emily!) with offices in London and New York City and life is good!

So it goes without saying that we couldn’t let our 6th birthday pass by without a (pretty generous if we do say so ourselves!) gift for you.

We are re-opening the doors to Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club for Jewish and Jew-ish brides, and we’re gifting a FREE 30 day membership to every bride-to-be (the gift has to be claimed by Monday June 11 so don’t delay – claim your 30 day free access pass now!)

Whether you’re newly engaged or just weeks away, working with a wedding planner, or planning solo, having a super traditional wedding, or going totally off-piste, planning an interfaith celebration or as Jewish as it gets, Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club is the secret community  that you need to plan the wedding of your dreams (whatever those dreams look like!).

Inside Brides Club we minimize stress and overwhelm with community, tailored advice, personalized vendor recommendations, action plans and templates, and we maximize your budget (hello juicy wedding vendor discounts covering every style, budget and location!)

Not sure what Brides Club is? It’s my members-only community for Jewish and Jew-ish brides-to-be whom I spoil and lavish my attention on, day in – day out.

See the foot of the post for just a few of the things our current Brides Club members have to say about their experience of the community. Promise it will blow your mind!

And if you’re already a member of Brides Club, another little birthday gift is awaiting you! Check your emails, or inside the Brides Club Facebook Group, and go claim it and spoil yourself!

But wait…what exactly is Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club?

Brides Club is my members-only community for planning your perfect Jewish (or Jew-ish) wedding. It’s my biggest passion, and my 3rd baby (after my two little princesses)!

I set up Brides Club in January 2018, in response to receiving 100’s of daily emails and DMs from brides-to-be wanting to know how to tailor Jewish wedding traditions / music / family dynamics / timelines / levels of Jewish-ness / mixing of cultures and faiths etc. to their personal Jewish wedding.

I was also receiving daily requests for vendor recommendations  and creative wedding ideas, and I absolutely LOVE helping with this kind of stuff (seriously – this is what I live for!). The spark was lit for creating Brides Club, a members-only community, dedicated exclusively to Jewish and Jew-ish Brides, and now, one and a half years later, I’m proud to have helped 100’s of awesome Jewish and Jew-ish brides create the Jewish wedding of their dreams (whatever that dream might be).

Inside Brides Club I’m able to take away all the wedstress, the overwhelm and all the ‘wedding information overload’.

Think of me as your virtual maid of honor – ready to help with anything and everything at a moments notice! And the community of support from fellow brides-to-be and newlyweds is unlike any other! Promise you’ll never have experienced anything like it before… Give it a go and if it’s not quite for you, you are free to leave at any time! There is no contract or commitment. It’s a gift from me to you – and if you just want to enjoy it for 30 days and then leave – no hard feelings – I promise!

I help you plan as little or as much of your wedding as you want, ensuring you make decisions with clarity and confidence whilst keeping family and friends happy. I also ensure you get the most ‘bang for your buck’ with your wedding budget, and, most of all, ensure that planning your wedding is as fun and stress-free as the day itself!


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REMINDER: The Event of the Year for Jewish and Jew-ish Brides starts TODAY {and it’s FREE!}

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Karen Cinnamon Smashing The Glass_1224It’s our blog birthday today – Smashing The Glass is… 6 ! Yes – the little blog that I started just after my wedding in 2013 is now six years old, and we have SOOO much to celebrate! 

Our FREE Jewish Wedding Planning Bootcamp  that starts today, is going to be packed with  fun and prizes (as well as all those planning nuggets you just NEED to know — and I’m just SO ridiculously excited for it!

That’s because I’m a million percent confident you’ll walk away knowing exactly what you need to do to ensure you have an unforgettable wedding — the wedding you really want (whilst keeping everyone around you happy). And I can’t wait to show you EXACTLY how!

My free bootcamp is starting TODAY! Monday June 3, 2019 @ 3:30 PM EST (that’s 3:30pm New York, 12:30pm Los Angeles, 8:30pm London, 10pm Israel – click here to find the time in your local timezone)

Oh… and did I mention that there’ll be prizes (I’m talking an Etsy gift card, a 1:1 with me, and more freebies) that only attendees can get their hands on too?!

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE AND GET A REMINDER

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